Class Dismissed

Ryan and I had our Infant Adoption training this past weekend. We went to our first class not really knowing what to expect. We each brought a notebook and pen to try take as many notes as possible. When we got there there was a purple folder with almost all of the material that we were going to cover so we did not have many notes to take. The instructors were really nice women who really have a knack for teaching. There were several fun moments in our classes because of them.

On Saturday we met a birth mother who's story brought tears to every one's eyes. I admire her for her strength and love for her daughter she gave up for adoption. She did not have any regrets and was confident she made the right choice. She still has a unique relationship with her daughter and the adoptive family.

Sunday we were able to meet an adoptive family. It was really helpful to be able to see that all of this hard work and effort pays off. I had already met this family through a co-worker of mine so I sat back and listened to all of the questions the other couples had. Every couple in our class seemed to have different concerns about the adoption process. We now have a really good understanding on what to expect through our adoption adventure.

Through out the weekend we played several learning games and were able to work one on one with our instructors. We also learned several parenting resources that are available to us as our child grows up. One is our adoption agency since they will always be available to help answer our parenting questions and concerns. They also taught us several techniques to help our child build a bond to us and us to them. There was also a couple we met who we exchanged contact info with. They are about the same age as us and are at about the same stage in the adoption process as us. They were really friendly and had similar interests as us. I think that it will be helpful to have friends that are going through the same thing as us.

After our class was finished our instructors told us that this was their best class they had ever had. We were told that we were real thinkers and even taught them a few things to include in future classes. I think that most of this class would be helpful to new parents or soon to be parents. The class was a success and I feel that I am a little bit smarter after completing our class.